What does your audience want from you?

When you send out your e-zine or publish your blog, you are competing for your reader’s time and attention. Do you know what your target audience wants from you? Have you asked? Listened closely? Taken a survey? Read your e-mail? Have you taken a look at Google Hot Trends or Twitter’s Trending Topics to get a clue about what matters to the average Internet user?

Never assume they are looking for your product or service (or ads about what you sell). They are online looking for solutions to their problems, quick fixes, inexpensive (and sometimes costly) remedies for what ails them. They want answers to life’s troubling questions. They want things to make sense.

They have access to a trillion Web pages. A few mouse clicks and countless freebies, bargains, and special offers as well as information and misinformation pop up for their perusal. How do they decide what and whom to trust? Make it easy for them. Demonstrate through your consistent quality posts that you are a reliable, trustworthy expert on topics that concern them most. Provide value. Share. Be the answer to questions they have not yet thought to ask. Let them know you understand and you care.

Is your writing action packed, descriptive and clear?

As a proofreader, I see a variety of writing styles: biographical, conversational, gimmicky, humorous, informational, scholarly, technical, and more. Exceptional authors draw their audiences in with liberal use of action verbs and attention to details. Outstanding technical writers satisfy readers with accuracy, well-placed prepositions, and a firm grasp of the end user’s primary language. Both make it easy for others to follow along.

Anyone can write “Some assembly required.” Spice it up with action verbs and make it more accurate by saying, “If you don’t have all weekend to devote to assembly, hire an expert to assemble this for you. Otherwise, grab your receipt, jump in your car, and exchange this product at the point of sale for something fully assembled.” You can have even more fun with this if your target market is technically inclined or thrives on a challenge. Leave the assembly directions out of the box or forget to mention “Hammer B into the narrow slot on C BEFORE nailing A and B together at point D.” They will provide their own colorful language, saving you time and effort.

If you are stuck using passive verbs and non-descript language, do a search online for “action verbs list” or “descriptive words list.” Use these tools to put some pizzazz in your prose.

What if I can’t write?

What can you do when your business (or your boss) requires good writing and you can’t write? Use the same strategies you would use if you broke your arm (the one connected to your dominant, writing hand).

• Make an audio recording
• Create a video
• Do a podcast and have someone else interview you on the topic needed
• Ask for help from family, friends, colleagues
• Hire help
• Enlist others to write for you
• Dig up previously written material to tide you over until you are ready to write again
• Take painkillers that give you weird dreams and use your dreams as prompts OR as excuses not to write

 I’m not entirely serious about the last one, but I do know the other strategies work as well for stuck writers as they do for the injured.

Get clients with great word-of-mouth marketing

The most frequently asked question among business owners might be “How can I get more clients?” Variations on this include “How can I make more money?” and “How can I increase sales?” The answer is the same for all three questions: don’t ignore the impact of word-of-mouth marketing.

Word-of-mouth marketing takes many forms and can be accomplished in multiple ways. Seek testimonials from satisfied customers. Get referrals from networking friends. Ask your LinkedIn connections for recommendations. Pursue excellence and win awards in your industry. Volunteer your services and share your expertise to contribute to your community while widening your circle of acquaintances. Keep your promises and over-deliver to ensure glowing feedback.

Referrals from satisfied customers are a huge asset. Improve your word-of-mouth marketing by asking yourself these questions and then taking action:
● Do I ask for testimonials and permission to use them in my marketing (on my Web site, in printed material, on a sales page)?
● Do I ask my networking friends what kind of person their ideal client is so I can refer them AND ask them to refer me to my ideal client?
● Have I set up a LinkedIn account, created a profile, and sought recommendations to add to my profile?
● Am I actively upholding the standards of excellence established for my industry?
● Have I done any virtual volunteer work that demonstrates my expertise?
● Do I give back to my community or am I perceived as always seeking my own gain?
● Do I keep my promises?
● Do I go beyond what is required?
● Do I communicate regularly with clients so I can be proactive in helping them succeed (which will help me succeed too)?
● Do I resolve customer service issues before they become huge problems?
● Do I stay in touch with prospects and former clients so they think of me when they have a need?

Let other people’s praise speak for you and your business.

Money-saving and educational technology

I love technology and how easy some tasks become with working technology. I appreciate the people who develop new technology and those who mentor others in its use. I enjoy mastering new technology, and  I encourage my clients to make use of technology to streamline their business processes.

So I was thrilled to see Small Business Trends’ 51 Tips for Saving Money on Technology compiled by Anita Campbell. I saw some favorites on the list and some I’ve been meaning to try.

For educational technology, I rely on input from my favorite teacher, a middle school Spanish teacher. You can check out cool tools for the classroom (and for some business applications) at her blog  and on Twitter if you follow @SrtaLisa.

Enjoy.

Third Quarter Results Challenge for Entrepreneurs

Are you excited about your third quarter results?  If so, congratulations and best wishes for an even more spectacular fourth quarter. If not, challenge yourself to take immediate action for the final quarter of 2009.

Your action plan should include the following:
● The big picture of where you are and where you want to go
● Knowledge of what is working for you and what isn’t (and the courage to get rid of what doesn’t work)
● A clear list of business-building priorities
● Year-end goals and goals for each priority in the year 2010
● Step by step plans and/or firm deadlines for achieving your goals
● A support team (colleagues, mentors, educators, anyone who can help you achieve your goals)
● Up-to-date financials that include money to invest in tools, technology, and staff to achieve your priorities
● A commitment to not be distracted by good things when you are intent on pursuing what is best.

May you look back three months from now and be thrilled with your end-of-year results.

Achieve Work-Family Life Balance in National Work and Family Month

Do you know how to create balance between your work and family life? National Work and Family Month begins October 1, 2009. Now is the perfect time to take your work-family life balance inventory. Discover where correction is needed and begin to make the necessary adjustments. Employers, promote new initiatives. Employees, ask for programs that would make your company a great place to work. Entrepreneurs, choose what works best for you.

If you are an employer, check out the self-audit available from the Alliance for Work-Life Progress at http://www.awlp.org/pub/selfaudit.pdf.

If you are an employee or an entrepreneur, which of these options have you explored to achieve your perfect work-family balance?Conducting business virtually on a full-time basis
Creating the necessary recurring income through Internet sales
Flexible hours
Job sharing
Longer workdays in a shorter week (3-12 hour days, 4-10 hour days)
Telecommuting part-time
Working around a family member’s schedule (while a child is in school or during a spouse’s busy season but not when you are both free)

Although I have not experienced this work arrangement myself, I admire businesses and their employees who participate in programs where vacation days are donated to a fellow employee who is suddenly facing catastrophic illness in the family. This eases the burden of having to be there at the hospital for your loved one and knowing you should be at work to keep your job and cover the costs of prolonged medical care.

Copywriting: how do I write a sales page when I don’t have time to write copy?

As entrepreneurs, our days are often packed with good and necessary activities. Copywriting, though necessary, seems so time-consuming, and we often let it slip down the to-do list where it gets forgotten.

Here are some ways to work copywriting into your business plans:

● Record your ideas when they occur to you using either a notebook or a voice recorder and then schedule time to organize your ideas into a sales page, a squeeze page, or Web site content.

● Look at other people’s copywriting. Decide what you like and dislike about their style and form. If possible, find out what your ideal clients like before you start your own copywriting. Factors to consider include length, use of color, guarantees, scare tactics (“only available until midnight….”), and your story. I have my own personal preferences, and sales page gurus each have a style of their own. You need to decide what appeals to you and your intended audience in order to write copy more quickly.

● Start with a list of the benefits of what you are selling. Your audience wants to know “What’s in it for me?” more than they immediately care about special features and you. This will make your writing easier and more compelling.

● Create copy that is evergreen. Make it specific enough to attract your ideal customers but generic enough that you won’t have to rewrite your copy on a frequent basis. You want your copy to be as good now as it will be 5 years from now. (You do want to be selling your exceptional product for years, don’t you?)

● Hire a copywriter or a virtual assistant who specializes in copywriting and editing to write your copy for you.

Copywriting doesn’t have to require hours of your time and attention once you get started. What will you do first?

Do you hate to write? Use the 5 Ws for easy writing

It’s easy to make excuses for not writing. Feeling time pressured and some variation of being out of ideas, having nothing new to say, and having writer’s block top the list. Here are some ways to get beyond the reasons not to write so you have compelling content for your articles, blog posts, e-zines, press releases, and Web pages. English teachers and reporters have long used the 5W method for writing. Try them with a new twist.

Who…can create content for you?
Ask a virtual assistant, ghostwriter, or guest blogger to write for you. Use the ideas that friends and family, colleagues, networking acquaintances, teachers or mentors, clients, and complete strangers may intentionally or inadvertently give you.

What…makes good content?
Appeal to people’s needs, wants, and emotions. Remember that it’s basic human nature to be self-centered so a little bit about YOU goes a long way when your readers really want to know what is in it for them.

When…is the best time to write?
Capture ideas with pen and paper or a recording device the minute they occur to you. Develop the ideas you have captured at the time of day when you are most creative. Create only a paragraph at a time if this makes writing less of a chore for you. Write before the absolute deadline.

Where…should you write?
Make the choice that is best for you. I enjoy sitting outside in lovely, quiet surroundings. You may do best at your desk or your computer. You might even consider your car as a writing spot, speaking into a recorder and then transcribing your words later. No matter how outstanding your thoughts, please do not text message as you drive.

Why…should you write?
Create fresh content to give prospective customers and search engines more opportunities to find you and your business. Use your words to position yourself as an expert. Write to stay in the minds of those on your prospect and client list.

How can you use the 5 Ws to inspire your writing?

Back to school

What do the words “back to school” mean to you?

The answer is fairly obvious for students, teachers, and support personnel in places of learning. Whether one is in a home school, an online academy, an elementary or secondary school, a trade school, a college or a university, back to school means a systematic process of learning in a setting where you are either the facilitator or the learner.

Judging from snippets of dialogue by parents and caregivers over the last couple of weeks , back to school for them means freedom. Freedom to pursue their choice of activities. Freedom to work at home with fewer disruptions. Freedom from having to pay for daytime childcare. Freedom from being the activities director and chauffeur.

As someone who has been a child, a student, a college graduate, an elementary school teacher, a parent, a home school instructor, a youth group leader, a virtual volunteer, and an adult educator, I believe these definitions are too limiting. Let’s think outside the box (or the institutions of school and parenthood) and expand on “process of learning” and “freedom.” Back to school should mean the freedom for everyone to continue the life-long process of learning that makes one a contributing member of society and an asset to one’s family, community, and sphere of influence. Parents and children should explore new interests, together and separately. Instructors and students should master new technology. The old and the young should find ways to interact peaceably with each other. We should never stop learning, thinking, engaging, and making a difference.

My favorite teacher expressed it well when she said, “I don’t want to teach to the test. I want to teach them to think for themselves, to reason, and to make wise decisions because these middle schoolers are future jurors.” Let “back to school” mean making a positive difference for the future.